Chapter 6
“Don’t make me repeat myself. Leave.”
His stern expression was so handsome that I was speechless. As expected of Young Master Lupin. A formidable opponent.
Roses have thorns, and the young master has his temper. It wouldn’t be as fun to serve him if it weren’t for this level of difficulty.
“Are you saying you’ll replace Anna? If Anna hadn’t pushed herself so hard to help me with my work, she wouldn’t have…”
The young master paused for a moment.
“She wouldn’t have left my side so soon. Even if your antics are ridiculous, you’re a doll filled with memories of Anna and me. I’d feel better if you were quietly displayed somewhere.”
The young master’s following words were all excuses. He was saying he would cherish me like Anna, but he actually planned to put me away somewhere and never look at me again.
This was unacceptable. I had returned as a maid because I wanted to be near him; I couldn’t be demoted to a warehouse keeper.
If I had known this would happen, I would have joined a circus as a talking doll and made a fortune. I came back as a maid solely for the young master.
To take care of our frail young master, see him get married, be a nanny to his children, and attend their weddings in the future!
“…So, how about you go back to my workshop, stay out of everyone’s sight, and take a nice nap? You can watch butterflies flutter around if you’re bored.”
“Hmm.”
The young master’s expression became smug. His sparkling blue eyes were like a predator’s. His slightly upturned lips and swaying hair were annoying.
He looked certain that I would listen to him. He was brimming with the arrogant confidence typical of a nobleman. The fact that even that looked attractive to me must have been due to my infatuation.
‘If it weren’t for me, no one would be able to handle his personality.’
The young master smirked with his characteristically annoying expression.
“Do you think a delicate doll like you can handle busy and dangerous work?”
“I…”
I rolled up one of my sleeves completely.
“I don’t think dwelling on the dead and wallowing in misery is good for your mental health. Neither is taking medicine on an empty stomach.”
My hand moved towards the teapot on the table. The young master furrowed his brow slightly, as if puzzled.
“Estella would have spent over a decade sitting idly in your workshop. Being a pretty doll, admired from afar, doesn’t suit my temperament. Because I’m alive now!”
I’m alive. The Anna who was buried in the grave with the young master’s tears was gone.
Anna was dead. I’m Estella. The words I was using to persuade the young master pierced my own heart. It was like a vow to myself.
As Estella, I would fulfill my unfinished duties as a maid from my previous life. By the side of the young master I loved, until the very end.
“So, I can’t back down. Look how strong I am.”
I picked up the teapot from the tea table and poured the hot water onto my bare arm. Steam rose like a cloud.
Only then did the young master’s expression change. His eyes, wide with shock and astonishment, were a vivid blue.
Despite being doused with hot water, my doll arm was perfectly fine. In fact, it seemed to have become even glossier and cleaner?
Wow, damn. I’m really strong.
“If I’m this durable, I should be able to handle maid work with ease, right?”
The young master, who had been repeating “Leave,” shut his mouth. His gaze was fixed on my arm, unable to move.
Finally, he raised the white flag.
“Don’t do anything so reckless again.”
The young master, who had been sitting still, walked over to the tea table.
I had won.
“Today’s refreshments are canapés with cream cheese and fragrant flower tea. A local specialty with a subtle sweet aroma and a pink hue. Made with spring flowers cultivated in our very own greenhouse…”
The young master, who had taken a seat, suddenly held out his hand. Huh? I looked down at his palm, then placed a dried flower petal on it.
“Yes, see for yourself. Can’t you see the pink color in the dried petal?”
“Hand. Give me your hand.”
The young master grabbed my wrist, the one I had poured hot water on, and examined it closely. He was checking for any burns or damage.
“What were you thinking, doing that? You could have really been damaged.”
It sounded like he was slightly worried about me. I liked this caring side of him.
“Because I trust you to fix me.”
“……”
“You may have a prickly personality and aren’t very popular with your friends, but you’re revered like a god among doll makers and magic tool merchants.”
“Are you trying to get a rise out of me?”
“Of course not. I was just saying I like you.”
The young master gently wiped my wet arm with a handkerchief. Held by him, my new body felt small.
He sat down and silently continued to wipe my arm, checking for any other damage.
After fiddling with my hand for a bit longer, he turned his attention to the refreshments.
“It’s just like Anna’s cooking.”
“O-of course. For you, Young Master, I, Anna, you know? That sort of thing. That kind of… It’s a secret technique that I can’t reveal…”
Thankfully, the canapé made its way into his mouth. The way he picked at it confirmed that he was indeed the picky eater I knew.
Standing a short distance away, I poured him some tea. I wanted to chatter away, but I held back. The young master’s subdued mood seemed unusual.
He finished the snacks without eating everything and wiped his hands.
“I’ll clear this away.”
I reached for the tray, but his voice stopped me.
“You claimed to be Anna.”
“W-well, yes. But I’m not insisting that you call me Anna. I’m Estella now.”
“I like how quickly you adapt.”
“In this rapidly changing world, a maid needs to be flexible in her thinking.”
After turning from a human into a doll overnight, I could accept anything.
The young master rested his chin on the table and stared blankly at his desk for a moment. Just as I was about to point out his poor posture, he spoke.
“Recently, the dead have been rising in the borderlands. The animated corpses, called ‘zombies,’ are terrorizing the people.”
He said that the first thing that came to mind when he heard about the zombies was the deceased Anna. Instead of fear, the young master, a magician, felt curiosity and hope.
Could there really be a way to summon a loved one back from the grave? The current zombies were imperfect monsters, but if the magic formula were refined, the result might be different.
“I’m not the only one who thinks this way. The madmen at the Magic Society are planning to capture and study the zombies.”
“The Imperial Palace won’t stand for it.”
The animosity between the Imperial Palace and the Magic Society was so well-known that it had become common knowledge. The Imperial Palace, which supported science, and the Magic Society, which pursued tradition and mysticism.
Scientists and magicians were constantly at each other’s throats, arguing over who was right.
Our wise young master maintained neutrality, refusing to get involved in the squabbles of the bald scholars.
Those who had much to lose were naturally more cautious. The young master had a full head of hair.
“There are many conflicting interests surrounding the zombie situation.”
“It must be difficult for you to take sides. You probably dislike both.”
“But I wanted to support the Magic Society. If they’re right, and it’s possible to bring back the dead…”
I interrupted him.
“You can’t.”
“I never said I would. I was just thinking about it.”
“You shouldn’t even think about it. Consider the perspective of the dead. Who in the world would want to be reborn as a zombie?”
The young master sighed deeply and asked, “Right?” I nodded vigorously. I paused briefly, as if my neck joints were creaking.
Do I need oiling too? Cooking oil? Olive oil? Canola oil!
“Because of this issue, His Highness the Crown Prince summoned me. I have to leave for the Imperial Palace tomorrow.”
“Yikes—that Crown Prince, who’s just as grumpy as you?”
There was a hint of pity in his gaze as he looked at me.
“I was just looking for a strong and sturdy servant. You, who can even withstand hot water, should be able to assist me properly, right?”
That’s what I wanted! I couldn’t miss the opportunity to see the Imperial Palace. I smiled gracefully and said,
“I’ll prepare immediately and accompany you tomorrow.”
“And?”
“I’ll keep my mouth shut during the entire trip.”
“That’s convenient. You’re quick-witted, just like Anna.”
The young master picked up his teacup. It was a sign that I could clear the tray.
A nod is as good as a word. I get things done without needing explicit instructions. No one could match my experience in serving the young master.
He seemed puzzled by this too.
“Even though you’re the doll Anna and I made together, how can you act so similarly? You have the same memories and level of common sense. What’s the principle behind this? Is this really my work?”
“Hmm, Young Master.”
He’s puzzled because he doesn’t believe I’m Anna. If he accepted that Anna was revived as a doll, he wouldn’t have to worry.
But I didn’t want to become a pseudo-zombie, and I didn’t want to confuse the rational young master any further.
I was still bewildered by being a doll myself, let alone him.
I simply smiled and cleared the tray.
“Magic is all about a series of ‘This works?’ and ‘This doesn’t work?’ moments, isn’t it?”
It was something the young master would often say while immersed in his magical research all night.
“That’s true, but…”
As I briskly left the office, I let out a sigh of relief.
“That excuse worked.”
The young master probably didn’t know that maids also used the expression “This works?”
Let’s start preparing for the trip to the Imperial Palace.